Device for promoting combustion



g i E. A. EARLE.

DEVICE FOR PROMOTING COMBUSTION Filed Oct. 25, 1925 Patented Aug. 2, 1927,

UNITED STATES PATENroFF ca nLnoN A. EABLE, or BLooMrInLn, NEW JERSEY.

DEVICE FOR PROMOTING COMBUSTION.

Application filed October 23, 1925. 2 Serial No. 64,343.

This invention relates to a device for supplying heated air into the fire-box of a furnace closely adjacent the surface of the fuel, whereby the incompletely burned combus tion gases. which rise from the fuel-bed and usually pass out of the fire-box unburned, are completely consumed, thereby resulting in a more economlcal operationvof the fur- 'nace. a One object of the invention is to provide anovel and improved device of the char-o acter-described, whereby the heated air is diffused or spread over substantially the entire fuel-bed so that practically all of the gases are burned. 1 Another object is to provide such a device embodying novel andimproved features of construction ply door of a known furnace with a minimum of modification of the door structure and so that the invention may be easily and quickly. applied by an unskilled person to, for example, his house-heating furnace.

Further objects of the invention are tov provide a device of this character including a conduit orpipe for directing air fromoutside the furnace to the interior of the fire-' box, said conduit having its inner extremity so formed as to efficiently spread or diffuse the air over the fuel-bed and thoroughly heatthe air before its delivery into the fire-box; -to provide a novel and improved construction whereby the conduit or pipe may be adjuste understood that this is'primarily for the purpose of illustrating the principles of the in ventio n, and thattheinvention maybe connected to the furnace any suitable manner for supplying air from the exterior for attaching it to the fuel supring 5 at the outer side of bolts thereof to the interior of the fire-box closely ad ac-ent to fuel-bed.

Referring to said drawings, in which corresponding and like parts are designated throughout the several views by the same reference characters Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a known type of furnace with portions broken away, showing a device embodying the invention applied to the fuel supply door of the furnace; H

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view through the fuel supply door and the device embodying the invention; v

Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of the fuel supply door illustrated in Fig? ure 2; I

Figure 4 is a view similarto Figure 2 showing a modified form of the invention wherein the conduit or pipe is adjustably connected to the furnace door, and

Figure 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view, taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Specifically describing the embodiment of theinvention illustrated in Figures 1 -3, inclusive, of the drawings, the reference char acter A designates a furnace of known construction including the usual fire-box B at the bottom of which is arranged a grate C and at one sideof which'above the grate is.

provided a fuel supply opening D normally closed by a door E; The door E is formed with the usual damper-openings F, but the damper plate which "usually controls said openings is removed to enable the device ambodyingthe invention to be secured to the oor.

The said device comprises a pipe or conduit 1 having one end flared as at2and formed with an annular flange 3. In apply- ,ing the device 1 to the door, the flange 3 is disposed against the inner side of the door,

and bolts a pass through said flange and athe door, the preferably passing through i, the damper-openings drilling special holes for the bolts. In the form {of the invention illustrated, the flared fportionj2 of the pipe Li's of a diameter: to v only" partially" cover the: damper-openings F to avoid the necessity of F, and the portions of the said openings F outside the flange 3 are closed by suitable plates or strips 6 which may be mica, and which are clamped between the flange 3 and the innersides of the door. Of course, if desired, the flared portion 2 might be made to completely cover the openings F, or in some furnaces the openings Fmight be so arranged that the :flaredportion' "2ywou1d cover them. The pipe 1 is of a length suiticient to extend into theiire-boix B when the furnace door is closed to a substantially central position, and the inner end of the pipe \1 is turned downwardly and provided with an outwardly flared nozzle 7 which is tormed with a horizontal annular flange 8 preferably of considerable th ckness.

Vl lith this construction, it willbeiobserved that whenthe fuel. supply door E is closed, air will enter the pipe 1. through the damper-openings l7 and be discharged into the firebox adjacent the top'ofthe fuel-bed and at substantially the center thereof,

' shown in Figure 1; The air is heated in its passage throughrthe "pipe landis drawn through the pipe by thesuction created by the-rising hot gases in-the firebox, Then the air reachesthe nozzle 7 it is spread or diffused over a considerable area of the fuelbed and the, speed travel of the air is reduced so that it may slowly and gradually mix with the incompletely burned fuel gases rising-fromfthe fuel-bed. It will be ob served that the flange s jwill always be quite hot, and accord ngly the a r as it passes upwardlyaround theflange will be heated to a high degree. The introduction of i the heated air as above described results in a substantially complete combustion of the un i burned fuel gases which rise from the fuel bed, so that a saving of fuel iseflectedas duction of heat. a

In many furnaces the length of the conduit l is such thatrthe conduit may swing out of the fuel supply opening D when the, door E is Openechfland the invention so far descr bed is particularly designed for use a with such furnaces.

WVher-e the fire-boxrisof a largediameter or the fuel supply opening D so small as to l l prevent the pipe 1 above described from being swung out of the fuel opening and consequently prevent full opening of the i fueisupply door, the pipe isadjustably a connected to the door in any suitable mannen g such as shown in Figures at and5. In this forniof the inventioina flanged collar 9 is secured tothe interiorjof the fuel supply door G'bymeans ofgbolts lOand'a ring 11 corresponding tothe boltsAiand theiing 5, hown injlliguresik fl, inclusive; A pipe 12 Yis longituclinally slidably arranged in the collar, 9 ai1d,,projects entirely, through the doo'i G, the outer end-of said pipe having 7 fire-box prevented. gradual and uniform pro-f secured thereto a flared inlet nozzle 13, sup ply of air through which to the pipe 12 is preferably controlled by a butterfly valve 14. To the inner end of the pipe 12 is secured in any suitable manner as by means of a bolt 16, an outletnozzle 15 which is substantially the same in construction as the nozzle 7 shown, in Figures 1-3, inclusive.

The pipe 12 is formed of a length sutficient to locate the nozzle 15 at substantially the center'of the -firebox of the furnace when the pipe is pushed inwardly of the door G until the inlet-nozzle 13 engages the front side of the. door, asshown in Figure 4:. When it is desired to'openthe fuel supply {door G, the pipe 12 is pulled outwardly of the door a distance suflicient toenable: the outlet nozzle 15 to clear the. side of the fuel supply opening when the door is swung open, and tolimi-tthe outward movement of the ,pipell2 tothis; eXtent;-*the-- col1ar 9 may be made of the right length to serve as a stop to be engaged by theend 17 of the outlet nozzle 15 and limit outward sliding of the pipe." It will be noted. that thisadjustablefniounting of the pip-e 12 also enables the position of the outlet nozzle-15 w be varied relatiyelyto the fuel-bed as maybe I NVhile "I have [shown and described two preferred forms of the invention embodying certaindetaiis of construction, 1t w1ll be,

understood that these details may be modified and changed by those ski1ledin"tl1e;art

withoutdeparting from the scope of the in yention, Ther-efore,jI do not desire to'be "understood as limiting myselfexcept asrequired by. the folhiwnigclaims {whenconstrued in thelightof the prior art.

Having thus described the invention, what Iclain is: f L 1. A device of the character-described,

comprising a conduit haying meaasroteon: nect on to an open ng ntothe fireboxof a furnace soas toexte'nd into S3i1d"fii'8b0X and supply" air above the fuelbed, saidconduit haying its inner end turned laterally downward and flared and haying at the end {of the flarea broad; horizontally;projecting annular flange which fwillpbe heatedfrom the fineand heat the incoiqing air as'it pass-- s beneath said flange radially outwerd over the fire.

2. The combination with a furnace having a fire-box With an opening in its Wall and a closure for said opening having radially disposed damper openings therein, of a conduit for supplying air from said damper openings to the middle of the fire-box above the fuel bed, said conduit having a flange disposed at the inner side of the closure and crossing the said damper openings between their ends, a ring arranged at the outer side 1 tending through said flange dampe'r open- 15 lngs and outer ring.

ELDON A. EARLE. 

